


watch the coffee touch her lips

by earlymorningechoes



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Humanstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-19 01:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2368607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlymorningechoes/pseuds/earlymorningechoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jade forgets to check that her intended pile of leaves is empty, and ends up with hot chocolate and art museums and a cute girl's phone number.</p>
            </blockquote>





	watch the coffee touch her lips

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by puppetamateur's post of AU ideas, found at http://puppetamateur.tumblr.com/post/93292699757/okay-but-consider-these-oh-my-god-im-so-sorry-my
> 
> Title from the Aselin Debison song "Learning to Fly."

     You fiddle absently with the wide strap of your shoulder bag, sliding the buckle back and forth along it as you walk down the street in front of the park. You’ve been purposely avoiding this street all week, attempting to avoid the temptation to stop and play. But it’s Friday afternoon, and you’re out of class, and there isn’t anyone or anything to tell you that playing in fallen leaves is not for twenty-year-olds. So you hitch the bag up slightly higher on your shoulder, glance around furtively for just a moment, and dart in through the gates, on a beeline for the nearest large pile of freshly-raked leaves.

     Smile widening as you draw near, your sweater and skirt flare out behind you like wings as you pick up speed. There’s a glorious moment of weightlessness as you jump before you collapse into the fluffy pile. But the landing isn’t quite as you expect – instead of the soft “phoof” of leaves puffing out underneath you, a loud “oof!” escapes from the pile. Scrambling to the side, you dig through the crunchy debris until a face with bright green eyes peers up at you out of it, the mouth twisted in a scowl.

     “I’m so sorry!” you squeak out, jumping to your feet and reaching down to help the other girl up. As she stands, she dusts off a pair of brown jeans and a green shirt, lifting her hands to her head and readjusting a blue beanie shaped like a cat’s face. You quickly check to make sure she’s okay as she grabs a backpack from the ground behind her, slinging it over her shoulder.

     “Hi, I’m Jade!” you burst out, unable to contain the words, bouncing forward on your toes in excitement at meeting someone new. The other girl looks slightly taken aback, and wrings her hands together for a moment and doesn’t quite meet your eyes. But a smile twinges across her face, and her eyes flash prettily.

     “I’m Nepeta,” she answers, “nice to meet you.” You nod in response, watching her smile grow as you grin at her.

     “Come with me to the coffee shop on campus,” you say, “I owe you for jumping on top of you!” Nepeta looks slightly taken aback, immediately shaking her head.

     “No, I couldn’t,” she begins, “it’s not a problem, don’t worry.” She threads her other arm through her backpack strap and turns slightly to step back onto the path.

     “Please?” you burst out, slightly surprised at how much you suddenly want this to happen. “It doesn’t have to be long, and I’d like to get to know you, and I do owe you!” You reach a hand out to her and give her the best puppy-dog eyes you can, realizing as you do that she’ll probably interpret them as kitty eyes (and if it gets her to come to coffee with you, you find you actually don’t mind).

     She giggles as she looks at your face and shrugs, her shirt slipping away from one of her bony shoulders. Falling easily into step with you, she doesn’t say anything as you exit the park, and you find yourself filling the silence easily, talking about your classes (evolutionary biology is kicking your ass) and your friends (Rose has been psychoanalyzing the whole apartment, including inanimate objects) and telling too many stories, but she seems interested, and she giggles in all the right places.

     When you get to the coffee shop, she tries to not let you pay for her hot chocolate, but Dave is working the counter and he winks at you, and you’ve whisked her off to your favorite table before she realizes that she’s still holding her $2.50.

     As you each settle in, wrapping your hands around the corny mugs Dave loves so much, you lean towards her slightly, eyes bright.

     “You’ve heard everything about me now! How about you? What do you study, how are your roommates, everything!” you tell her, bouncing slightly in your seat as you await her answers. You learn that she’s a third-year like you, an art student, and that she lives on the opposite side of campus from you with a few other girls. Her brother is a senior, he likes to tell her what to do, and they both like video games.

     Dave sits with you during his break, but other than that, it’s just the two of you for a while. You sit in awe as Nepeta explains all about her favorite types of art, even describing the specs of her drawing tablet and pulling it out of her backpack to show you. By the time she’s finished, you’ve agreed to go to the school’s art museum with her on Sunday, and her phone number is safely stored in your phone.

     You part ways outside the coffee shop as the sun begins to set, her turning west and you lingering behind before heading off east. Watching her silhouette walk away, you catch Dave giving you a cheesy look from the counter. Rolling your eyes at him, you mouth “see you at home,” turning on your heel to practically skip down the street.

     (It’s slightly embarrassingly how many of your thoughts are “Jade + Nepeta” surrounded by hearts. You met her three hours ago.)


End file.
